Get ready for visa-free travel between EU and Russia

The improved conditions for cross-border travel might become one of the biggest successes in EU-Russian relations, Kommersant Daily writes.

Agreements on visa facilitation and readmission were signed at last year’s EU-Russia summit in Sochi, Russia. One year later, by May 2007, both agreements have been ratified by the Russian State Duma and the EU. The visa facilitation agreement will extend the duration of a single entry visa to up three months, while a multiple entry visa will last for up to five years. Travelling will be facilitated especially for groups like students, politicians, business people, researchers and truck drivers. Visa fees will be set to 35 EUR.

The agreement might however be only a first step towards a further extended visa cooperation. As a matter of fact, EU and Russia might in a not too distant future open up for full visa-free travelling. At least, that is the opinion of Russia’s special envoy to the EU, Mr. Sergey Yastrzhembsky. –We do not intend to stop here, he says to newspaper Kommersant Daily. –The ratification of the visa facilitation agreement has become the first step on the road towards a visa-free regime with the EU, he adds. The special envoy stresses that Russia is determined to achieve Russia-EU visa freedom and that a dialogue with EU officials on the issue already has been initiated. Russia sees the visa agreement as a milestone in relations to the EU, and has been eager to implement the deal. From the EU side, officials stress that the visa and readmission agreements will facilitate increased travel, but also help combat illegal migration.

According to Kommersant Daily, the EU border control service Frontex in 2006 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Russian Border Service. -This demonstrates both parts’ readiness to cooperate, head of Frontex, Ilkka Laitinen, says to the newspaper. –Current cooperation is excellent, he adds.